Thousands of Americans suffer from clinical depression. The effects can be life altering. Often, the depressed individual withdraws from activities, friends, and even family members. Some have to practically force themselves to get out of bed in the mornings. They may also suffer actual physical pain and experience panic attacks or anxiety attacks. Some severely depressed victims might resort to suicide.

There are many different types of treatment options for depression. These include lifestyle changes, herbal remedies, acupuncture, mental health counseling, reducing stress levels, and the use of prescription drugs. The best treatment depends on the underlying cause of the depression and the patient’s individual case. There’s no across-the-board panacea for depression.

We live in a nation of instant gratification, and many patients are unwilling to try treatments that might take a while to have an adequate effect on their symptoms. They want to feel better quickly, and many doctors feel the same way. The result is that antidepressant prescription drugs are all too often offered as the first treatment option for depression. For some individuals, these drugs are almost like “miracle pills.” After just a few short weeks of taking the drugs, symptoms can substantially improve or disappear completely. For other patients, however, the drugs have little effect. In fact, they can even make symptoms worse. In either case, the drugs are not without side effects.

One common type of antidepressant is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI. This type of antidepressant includes Prozac, Paxil, Luvox, Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro.  Doctors are really not sure exactly how SSRIs work. The theory is that they make more serotonin available for the brain’s use. Serotonin is the “feel good” neurotransmitter that affects the brain and nervous system to promote a feeling of well being.

Side effects of SSRIs include insomnia, nausea, a decrease in sex drive, weight gain or loss, sweating, fatigue, dry mouth, headaches, tremors, and dizziness. They may also play havoc with the intestinal tract and cause diarrhea or constipation. Sometimes they can worsen the very symptoms they’re intended to treat, including restlessness, nervousness, and anxiety. A patient taking SSRIs might experience more than one of these side effects, or they might experience no side effects at all.

Another type of antidepressant that has become popular is the atypical antidepressant, which include Well butrin, Effexor, Remeron, Desyrel, Serzone, and Cymbalta.  This type of antidepressant affects other brain chemicals, especially dopamine or norepinephrine. Sometimes the atypical antidepressants affect more than one neurotransmitter. For example, one of the most popular, Cymbalta, targets both serotonin and norepinephrine. It’s used to enhance not only the mood-lifing capabilities of serotonin, but to also treat pain with norepinephrine.

Side effects for atypical antidepressants include weight gain, drowsiness, dry mouth, nausea, fatigue, and blurred vision. Like the SSRIs, they can also cause nervousness. A few atypical antidepressants might cause an increase in blood pressure. Of course, it’s entirely possible for a patient taking these medications to have no negative side effects at all.

The third and oldest type of antidepressant is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, or MAOI. These drugs can have serious side effects and are usually only prescribed for severe depression that has not improved with other treatment options.

If you’ve been prescribed an SSRI, SSNRI, or another type of atypical antidepressant, keep track of any negative side effects. Your doctor may adjust your dose, and this might alleviate the side effects. Also, the doctor might change your medication, which could help. For example, some people might experience side effects with Zoloft but experience none with Paxil, even though they’re in the same drug class. Each drug is a little different, so don’t suffer in silence needlessly. Remember – the drugs are supposed to make you feel better, not worse.